With the end of the VET-to-VET Capacity Building in Albania approaching, all the partners of the project (APRO Formazione, SEPR, Albanian Skills, Hoteleri, Kamza MCF, Build Green Group and EfVET) met in Tirana last month (from Dec. 17 to Dec. 19, 2024) to discuss and proceed with its last phases. Below is the summary of the activities carried out day by day, paying special attention to the key aspects that distinguished the project.
DAY 1 – Tuesday, 17 Dec. 2024 | Transnational Partners Meeting and School Visits
The first day started with a wrap-up meeting focused on the last loose ends and the final conference. Afterwards, the partners had the chance of visiting the two following Vocational Schools to know more about the facilities and directly engage with teachers and students.
- Hoteleri – Hospitality and Tourism school
Founded in 1959, the Hoteleri Vocational School aims at developing the professional competences of the students in the field of Hospitality and Tourism as well as in that of Food Technology. During our tour, we were able to visit different training facilities within the center (kitchen, hotel room, bar and restaurant) getting in touch with teachers and students, who kindly gave us a demonstration of their cooking and waitressing skills.
- Kamza Multi-Functional Centre
Located in Kamza, near Tirana, this center works on qualifying young people for the labor market in a wide range of sectors, including ICT, Social Welfare Service, Vehicle Transportation Service, Tourism and Hotelier, Agriculture and Gardening. Walking around the complex (formed by two differentiated modules), we visited the different workshops dedicated to each area and we got to learn more about the new project, which plans to build a completely new greenhouse in the agriculture and gardening area in 2025. Moreover, local students shared with us some testimonies of their experience and showcased their learnt skills.
DAY 2 – Wednesday, 18 Dec. 2024 | Final Conference
Under the name “The Power of Mobility: Boosting VET Attractiveness through International Opportunities” and organized by Hoteleri, APRO Formazione and SEPR, the final conference of the project took place on the 18th of December in the Hilton Garden hotel in Tirana.
The conference served to showcase the results of the VET-to-VET Capacity Building in Albania as well as to further share views and experiences regarding the international opportunities coming from VET providers, associations, students, teachers and Albanian institutional representatives.
A highlight of the conference was the Q&A sessions with Albanian students and teachers that participated in the mobility initiative, specifically in the twining process between Hoteleri and APRO Formazione.
All students, who worked in different areas of the Hospitality and Tourism sector, shared with the participants how their experience in Italy exceeded their expectations. The challenges faced (e.g. from working on a 2-shift schedule, to cultural differences, or missing the family, and more) enhanced their adaptability skills and developed their professional competences. Such a positive opportunity also helped the students clarify or rethink their professional goals and paths.
On the other side, teachers compared VET trainings in Italy with their own previous experiences in Albania touching on the similarities/differences, lessons learnt and feedback. Overall, they recognized some methodological differences, but they also stressed the existing similarities in many techniques and how Albanian curricula are converging with the EU standards. In other words, VET to VET Albania was a “demanding opportunity but with great results that justified the challenge”.
DAY 3 – Tuesday, 19 Dec. 2024 | Focus Groups
The third and final day in Tirana served to collect feedback from students and teachers who participated in the VET mobility initiatives. Throughout the two-year project, three different mobility initiatives have been implemented:
- Professional visits: training and active education of teachers.
- Job shadowing activities: active observation of methodologies, services, meetings with local teachers, companies and culinary professionals, and local institutions.
- Accompanying teachers: in an active role of guidance, supporting and facilitating students in their work and educational placement in a different context.
APRO Formazione and EfVET gathered the feedback and results about them through face-to-face meetings with students, teachers, and the Hoteleri school board. The focus groups guided the reflection on various aspects, bringing out important reflections at personal and professional level, connecting the hard/professional skills to the soft/interpersonal ones. Also, it emerged how students and teachers perceived, and sometimes modified, their expectations and plans after learning about and practicing in Alba’s (Italy) culinary, tourism and hospitality sector.
Encountering a different culture, a new language (to be learned or improved), a different school with a different methodology and organization, as well as logistics and personal management (e.g. local transportation, pocket money, co-housing organization, sharing of space and resources, cleaning, and more) have been part of the growth of the students, but also teachers, professionals, and VET organization.
The mobility experience was positively perceived as innovative and highly recommendable to other students. This collaboration between Tirana and Alba gave students, professors, schools, and professionals, the opportunity to meet and share educational experiences at various levels, enriching inter-cultural communication and giving participants a wealth of experience that will be very useful in their future.
At the end of the focus groups, QR codes linking to anonymous questionnaires were shared to complement the direct feedback analysis. Finally, another report/feedback led by external experts will close the project cycle.
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Check the full photo album of the initiative.
Learn more about the v2valproject.eu programme.
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